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Eta expected to announce definitive endto four decades of violence

The Guardian. 15 October 2011.In a historic step for Spain, the armed Basque separatist group ETA is this week

expected to announce a definitive end to more than four decades of violence,

according to sources (1) ______________ to the negotiations.With the (2) ______________ UN secretary general Kofi Annan flying into the Basquecountry on Monday for talks and a recent call from several hundred Eta prisoners for

an end to violence, sources in the Basque country and others involved in the processsay the group will make a significant announcement (3) ______________.Senior members of Socialist prime minister Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero's

government have been (4) ______________ for several weeks that they expect thegroup to make such a move. Eta is already observing what it terms a "permanent"

ceasefire, called in September 2010, (5) ______________ it has broken previousunilateral truces that it had deemed permanent.

While it was unclear exactly what words Eta would use in its forthcoming statement, it

looks set to be an irreversible step towards the end of a group that has killed more

than 800 people in bomb and pistol attacks across Spain over the past 43 years.

A public appeal from Annan and fellow mediators, including the Sinn Fin president,

Gerry Adams, for Eta to embrace peace will provide the group with an excuse for(6)______________ its readiness to abandon arms, according to sources. RadicalBasque separatist political leaders would then imitate moves by Adams during the

Ulster peace process when, in 2005, he appealed directly for the IRA to (7)______________ down its weapons.The dramatic new moves would come just a month before a 20 November general

election that looks (8) ______________ to change Spain's government, with theconservative People's party (PP) of Mariano Rajoy predicted to win a landslide

victory.

Although the PP has traditionally refused to consider any sort of dialogue with Eta, it

is known (9) ______________ in contact with the group during a previous ceasefire in1998. The hawkish PP prime minister at the time, Jos Mara Aznar, whom Eta had

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tried to kill with a car bomb in 1995, even moved some of the group's prisoners to

jails closer to home in a good-will gesture.

The Basque country's Socialist regional prime minister, Patxi Lpez, last month

responded to a call from Eta prisoners for the group to embrace peace by proposing

that those in jails around Spain (10) ______________ to Basque prisons.Listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the US, Eta has been in

decline for more than a decade, with its capacity to carry out terrorist attacks on

Spanish territory seriously (11) ______________. But attempts to wean off violenceafter it called a ceasefire in 2006 failed, and the group planted a bomb which killed

two people at Madrid's Barajas airport.

A decision by the group to lay down arms may provoke the appearance of splinter

groups dedicated to keeping the violence going, similar to the Real IRA in Northern

Ireland, according to a former senior Socialist interior ministry official.

Monday's talks will see peace mediators including Tony Blair's former chief of staff,

Jonathan Powell, discuss the process with local politicians. The (12) ______________include both radical separatists close to Eta and the Basque branch of Zapatero's

Socialist party. Rajoy's PP will not attend and the meeting has been denounced by

opponents of talks as "Eta's conference".

"What is in play is the future of our country, and knowing that we can count (13)______________ the help of important people and groups fills us with hope," said PaulRios, of the Lokarri peace group, (14) ______________ is organising the conference.1. Close near sided

2. Counterpart last former

3. Shortly in briefly sooner

4. Telling saying believing

5. Though however nevertheless6. Declare declaring to declare

7. Lie lay dispose

8. Positive reasonable likely

9. To be to have been have been

10. Be moved to be moved was moved

11. Weak weaken weakened

12. Later latter last13. in on with

14. that which what

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Eta expected to announce definitive endto four decades of violence

In a historic step for Spain, the armed Basque separatist group ETA is this week

expected to announce a definitive end to more than four decades of violence,

according to sources close to the negotiations.With the former UN secretary general Kofi Annan flying into the Basque country onMonday for talks and a recent call from several hundred Eta prisoners for an end to

violence, sources in the Basque country and others involved in the process say the

group will make a significant announcement shortly.Senior members of Socialist prime minister Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero's

government have been saying for several weeks that they expect the group to makesuch a move. Eta is already observing what it terms a "permanent" ceasefire, called

in September 2010, though it has broken previous unilateral truces that it haddeemed permanent.

While it was unclear exactly what words Eta would use in its forthcoming statement, it

looks set to be an irreversible step towards the end of a group that has killed more

than 800 people in bomb and pistol attacks across Spain over the past 43 years.

A public appeal from Annan and fellow mediators, including the Sinn Fin president,

Gerry Adams, for Eta to embrace peace will provide the group with an excuse for

declaring its readiness to abandon arms, according to sources. Radical Basqueseparatist political leaders would then imitate moves by Adams during the Ulster

peace process when, in 2005, he appealed directly for the IRA to lay down itsweapons.

The dramatic new moves would come just a month before a 20 November general

election that looks likely to change Spain's government, with the conservativePeople's party (PP) of Mariano Rajoy predicted to win a landslide victory.

Although the PP has traditionally refused to consider any sort of dialogue with Eta, it

is known to have been in contact with the group during a previous ceasefire in 1998.The hawkish PP prime minister at the time, Jos Mara Aznar, whom Eta had tried to

kill with a car bomb in 1995, even moved some of the group's prisoners to jails closer

to home in a good-will gesture.

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The Basque country's Socialist regional prime minister, Patxi Lpez, last month

responded to a call from Eta prisoners for the group to embrace peace by proposing

that those in jails around Spain be moved to Basque prisons.Listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the US, Eta has been in

decline for more than a decade, with its capacity to carry out terrorist attacks on

Spanish territory seriously weakened. But attempts to wean off violence after it calleda ceasefire in 2006 failed, and the group planted a bomb which killed two people at

Madrid's Barajas airport.

A decision by the group to lay down arms may provoke the appearance of splinter

groups dedicated to keeping the violence going, similar to the Real IRA in Northern

Ireland, according to a former senior Socialist interior ministry official.

Monday's talks will see peace mediators including Tony Blair's former chief of staff,

Jonathan Powell, discuss the process with local politicians. The latter include bothradical separatists close to Eta and the Basque branch of Zapatero's Socialist party.

Rajoy's PP will not attend.

The meeting has been denounced by opponents of talks as "Eta's conference".

"What is in play is the future of our country, and knowing that we can count on the help of

important people and groups fills us with hope," said Paul Rios, of the Lokarri peace group,

which is organising the conference.